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| Brockport athletics photo |
By Brian Lester
D3sports.com
Rewind to Sept. 9. It’s the home opener for a Brockport football team with high hopes for 2023 and the Golden Eagles are up against nationally ranked Susquehanna.
The game turns into a defensive battle. It ends with a field goal with two seconds remaining being the difference in a 6-5 loss.
Everything could have unraveled from there. One of those games where heart and effort are poured into it, but ultimately it just wasn’t enough, which sets the stage for a tough road ahead.
That didn’t happen for the Golden Eagles. They were determined to get back on their feet and charge ahead.
“It was a really hard-fought game against a great team. Defensively, we played lights out,” senior linebacker Ben Johnson said. “Stuff happens sometimes. And that’s part of football. The most important thing was to get back on the horse and understand we don’t anything like that happen again. That we don’t lose a game from here on out.”
Senior defensive back Kyle Haettich echoed those thoughts in the simplest of terms.
“I would say it put a fire under us losing that game,” Haettich said.
It’s been all wins ever since for the Golden Eagles, who have rattled off six consecutive victories behind a defense that has recorded two shutouts during the streak while allowing only one opponent to hit double digits in points.
Coach Jason Mangone isn’t surprised in the manner in which the team has surged ahead. This is a Brockport team with a lot of leadership within it as well as a strong team bond.
“It’s funny, you never recall the wins, but you rehash the losses. I’m not sure if it’s anything you get over. You just get beyond it. The reality was after that game it was going to be about the resolve of our locker room,” Mangone said. “It would have been easy for the players to turn on each other because it was an ugly game that we had a multitude of chances to win. We bought into what has to happen to get into a position to go in a positive direction, and we’ve done that. We’ve gotten a little better every week.”
Defense has played a pivotal role. Robinson and Haettich are two leading tacklers for the Golden Eagles, racking up 58 and 47 tackles, respectively. Mike Talbert Jr. (40), Dylan Mann (33), Joseph Rodda (33) and Raylens Boutin (32) all have more than 30 tackles as well.
They are part of a defense that has recovered six fumbles, picked off seven passes and recorded 22 sacks. It’s a defense that is tough to pick up yards against. Brockport is allowing an average of 155.1 yards per game, with just 56 of those yards per week coming on the ground.
Speaking of run defense, the Golden Eagles held Utica to minus-19 rushing yards in a 38-3 win last Saturday.
“I think the No. 1 thing that needs to keep going for our defense is our attitude,” Robinson said. “Every play, we want to be the most dominant force on the field. It’s hard to stop us when we play like that.”
And even when teams have success against the Golden Eagles, Robinson said it’s important for the opposing team to know that they’ll have to earn everything they get.
“We need to be the aggressor. We need to make sure they feel us. If they get a yard, we need to make sure it’s a hard-fought yard,” Robinson said. “We are going to attack as a defense and be 11 guys running to the ball as fast as we can.”
Being prepared to do that starts long before game day.
“It’s our physicality in practice,” Haettich said. “We go 100 miles an hour every single practice and everyone is doing their job. Effort and attitude are the key thing. That’s what makes us great.”
Mangone said the defense takes a lot of pride in what it does as well and is never satisfied no matter how well it plays.
“Regardless of what they give up each week, no matter how well they perform, they always say they could have done this or done that,” Mangone said. “They are enjoying their success, but they are never content.
“Good teams learn from losses. Great teams still learn from wins. And that’s what this defense has done. They have stayed hungry and stayed disciplined,” Mangone added.
Haettich spoke to that mindset of never being content.
“Our goal is to put a zero on the scoreboard,” Hattich said. We’ve only done that twice.”
In the big picture view of everything, this season for Brockport is also about restoring the glory. The Golden Eagles have been to the postseason seven times in the last nine years, including three straight appearances from 2017-19.
They have gone 8-3 and 7-3 over the last two seasons, respectively, but haven’t won an Empire 8 title or made the playoffs in that time.
Part of that had to do with the lingering impact of the pandemic year in 2020.
“During COVID, we lost 31 players that could have come back, so we’ve had to rehab the roster, Mangone said. “We’re finally getting the chemistry there and having that player-led roster. Obviously the number of seniors we have helps. And when guys put in work, you get positive results. This is a fun team to be around. A fun group to coach. And it’s fun to play some championship football in November.”
The Golden Eagles are 7-1 overall and unbeaten in conference play with a 4-0 mark. This week they face Cortland, the No. 16 team in the D3football.com poll. The Red Dragons are 7-1 overall and 5-0 in Empire 8 play.
Senior leadership has helped put the Golden Eagles in this spot.
“The last two years we had 11 and 10 seniors. We’re now at 27,” Mangone said. “The last two years when we’ve needed a multitude of older guys, we didn’t have it. I think we traveled with six seniors on the road last year, and that’s the least in all my years of coaching.”
Robinson said he and his classmates have embraced the chance to be leaders and the moments they’ve had this season.
“Being a senior, I definitely don’t take anything for granted,” Robinson said. “I’m enjoying practice, enjoying the film sessions and being out there in games. Playing football here brings a different level of excitement and happiness to my life.”
And there is excitement about the chance to play a big game on Saturday. The preparation for the showdown is no different than any other week.
“We treat every opponent the same. Obviously this is a big game, but we are preparing the same way we would any other week. We’re ready to go,” Haettich said.
Mangone wants his team to enjoy the moment.
“You don’t want to make the game bigger than it has to be, but you also have to understand the moment. This is why you came to a school like Brockport,” Mangone said. “This is what you want. You’ve put yourself in a position to go get it. Now it’s time to take care of business. It’s a fun deal. Not many teams get to play meaningful November games against a ranked team. Go enjoy it.”
